Improvement in carriage-steps



G. M. PLYMPTON.

CARRIAGE STEP. No. 74,589. Patented Feb-l8,` 1868.

a C /A M. PLYMPTON, or NEW YORK,V N.

Letters .Patent No. 74,589, dilated February 18, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN CARRIAGE-STEPS.

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TO ALL PERSONS TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

Be it known that I, Gr. M. PLXMPION, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Carriage or other Steps or Treads and I do hereby declare that the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, hereinafter referred to, forms afull and exact specification of the same, wherein I have set forth ,the nature and principles of my said improvement, by which my invention may be distinguished from all others of a similar class, together with such parts as I claim, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent.

The present invention relates to the tread of a carriage or other step or other surface, which it is desirableto render safe against all possibility or danger of the foot slipping whenplucodv thereon, as, for instance, in

stepping into and out of carriages; .and this invention consists in providing the tread with a surface of India.

rubber or gatta percha, or of any of their respective elastic compounds, that, in the form of a rib or other suitable shape, is secured within any suitable frame or plate, so asV tothe held-or confined upon its side or sides, y,

leaving its upper and treading surface exposed, whereby, from the nature of the India rubber or gutta perche, Y

In thel accompanying plate of drawings all possibility or danger of' the foot slipping upo'n the step is obvia-ted. my improved carriage or other step or tread is illustrated- Figure l being a plan or topiview of the same, and

'Figure .2 a. transverse vertical section, taken in the plane of the line a: x, tig. 1.

A, in the drawings, represents a plate, made of iron, or other suitable metal or other material. This plateA has two parallel rectangular'cpenings or slots B, along the sides and ends oi each of which are flanges C. vThese vflanges project above the 'upper surface of the plate, `and 'are iiared or bent in over the openings toward their centre line, but leaving an opening between their upper edges, D, ribs or bars, made of India rubber or giltta perche., or oi' any of their respective elasticfcompounds. 'llhese` ribs are bcvelled upon their sides and ends,

corresponding to the inclination ofthe anges to the plate-openings, but so that, when inserted therein, they will project alittle above the upper edges, a, to the said anges, and thus leave their upper surfaces E exposed to the tread. F, a plate, placed against the Aback or under siclevof the plate holding the, ribs D, `Where, by means of screw-bolts, Gr, or other suitable devices, it is fastened, securing the ribs withinV the openings to the plate A, a's is obvious.

By forming a treading surface of India. rubber or gutta perche, there is no danger of the foot slipping, when placed thereon, and the importance of which, in connection with the steps-to carriages, more particularly, is too well known to need any more special reference toit herein.

In lieu of making the rubber in the shape of a rib, it may bo inade ot` other forms, and therefore I do not intend to limit myself to any one shape of `the rubber.

It may be here observed that if the plate with the rubber strips is to be used for a carriage-step, the other plate, with which it has been described as being backed, may be dispensed with, the carriage-step itselfv then answeringr for the backing-plate to the rubber ribs. Y

Having thus described my improvement, I shall state my claim as follows:

What I claim as my invention, and desire to have secured to me by Letters Patent, is

A step for carriages, tc., formed of the two plates F and A, in combination with the India-rubber ribs D, or their equivalents, when the plate A is formed to receive such ribs D, substantially as and for the purpose described.

' Gr. M. PLYMPTON.

Witnesses:

RANDOLPH B., MARTINE, HERMAN L. WATTENBERG. 

